
Papers: Maresca in Man City talks as Pep emerges as candidate for Italy job
Enzo Maresca is in talks with Manchester City as Pep Guardiola emerges as a candidate for the Italy national team job.
NHL playoff TV ratings have surged despite the absence of big-market teams like the Rangers and Leafs. The opening weekend saw a 141% increase in viewership, with three of the most-watched first-round games ever on cable.
OTTAWA - Not having the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers or several other big-market teams in the playoffs hasn't negatively affected TV ratings.
Quite the contrary.
According to ESPN, the first weekend of the Stanley Cup playoffs had three of the most-watched games ever in the first round (excluding Game 7s) on cable TV, with ESPN averaging 1.6-million viewers over five games during the opening weekend.
That's an increase of 141 percent in viewership from last year's first round.
The biggest draw was last Saturday night's Game 1 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, which had 2.1-million viewers tuning, followed by a Saturday late-afternoon Game 1 between the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars (1.9 million), and last Sunday night's Game 1 between the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins (1.7 million).
It wasn't just the American-based teams that pulled in viewers.
Game 1 between the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators, which kicked off the start of the playoffs and began at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, pulled in 1.3-million viewers. Meanwhile, Game 1 between the Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Mammoth on Sunday night reached 1-million viewers.
NHL playoff TV ratings increased by 141% during the first round compared to the previous year.
The highest viewership was for the Game 1 matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, with 2.1 million viewers.
ESPN averaged 1.6 million viewers over five games during the opening weekend of the NHL playoffs.
No, the absence of teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers did not negatively affect NHL playoff TV ratings.

Enzo Maresca is in talks with Manchester City as Pep Guardiola emerges as a candidate for the Italy national team job.
Blue Jays demote Jeff Hoffman from closer role after struggles
Cleveland Browns trade down with Chiefs, winning the deal according to trade calculators.
Jon Anik rooting for chaos in Chimaev vs. Strickland ahead of UFC 328
Gonzaga Bulldogs baseball is on fire with an 11-game winning streak!
Follow the Ravens' picks on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft!
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
So much for the notion that casual fans wouldn't watch a Stanley Cup playoffs that was missing four of the Original Six teams or none of the teams in the Tri-State area.
When The Hockey News asked Gary Bettman on Thursday if the lack of big-market teams has provided an opportunity for small-market teams to bask in the spotlight, the NHL commissioner instead praised the novelty of always seeing different teams in the playoffs.
"It's interesting the way you phrase the question, because if you look at nine of the last 11 seasons, we've had at least five clubs turn over into the playoffs. This year it's six, actually," Bettman said in a news conference before Game 3 in Ottawa. "Last year, for the first time in our history, none of the American Original Six clubs were in the playoffs.
"If you look at this year, I think it's the first time since the Devils went to New Jersey that none of the New York and Jersey teams are in the playoffs."
It's not just the constant turnover. This year's regular season came right down to the wire, with as many as seven teams battling it out for the final wild-card spot in each of the conferences during the final couple of weeks in the schedule. Inevitably, that creates drama, the kind that bled into the start of the playoffs.
No, Canada! Senators, Oilers And Canadiens All Shutout From Saturday Hockey Night In Canada
Say what you want about a playoff format that puts the emphasis on divisional matchups and doesn't always reward the team with the most points, but the TV ratings speak for themselves.
The Battle of Pennsylvania has been must-watch TV. The same goes for Dallas having to play Minnesota, despite how unfair it is that the second- and third-best teams in the Western Conference are playing one another in the first-round.
"What's great about our league right now — and you see the games and how competitive and unpredictable they are — is we're super-competitive," said Bettman. "Our competitive balance is extraordinary, which is why the regular season is so meaningful. Less than a handful of clubs weren't in the hunt for the last couple of months of the season. Teams played games in October in November where if they had a point or two back, they might have been in the playoffs."
Indeed, the NHL on ESPN also recorded new highs in the regular season, delivering the most-watched season of the current rights deal, with 760,000 average viewers — and increase of 30 percent over last year.
NHL Expansion Price Tag 'Substantially More Than A Billion' And Other Takeaways From Gary Bettman's Presser In Buffalo
It's likely that the ratings this year might have been even better had the Leafs, Rangers, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks had also been in the playoffs. Then again, there's something to be said of having some new faces in the post-season.
This year, Buffalo ended a 14-year playoff drought. Anaheim ended a seven-year drought. The Mammoth, meanwhile, qualified for the post-season for the first time since relocating to Utah.
In other words, this year's playoffs don't feel tired. Instead, they feel different.
"I think it's great for fans," said Bettman. "It's great that the drought in Buffalo is over for the fans in Buffalo. I'm one of those when you say, 'Isn't it good for this team or good that team?' I've got three children, they're all married, and eight grandchildren, and I love them all equally. They're not the same.
"I love all my teams. I want them all to be healthy, and I want them all to be competitive, and when a team goes through a time when there's retooling, a transformation, rebuilding, it's nice to see any team come out of that and be competitive."
Image
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News atTHN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending storiesby subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.